How Disney has Shaped my Beliefs

The adventure is one aspect that many Disney movies focus on. Mulan joins an army, Cinderella goes to the ball, Anna sets out to find her sister and Belle searches for a heart in an unforgiving beast. All of these princesses face major challenges: Mulan has to conceal her gender, Cinderella must sneak away from her evil step mother and step sisters, Anna travels through a blizzard with a stranger, and Belle is in an unfamiliar place trying to understand the lifestyle of someone so angry. Movies like these have affected my beliefs because they have normalized rocky adventures, that is, an adventure with some sort of obstacle or challenge that the protagonist needs to overcome. These adventures suggest that going through something tough will lead you to a greater outcome. This idea of persistence and embracing the change has been something that I, and many others, need to believe in, in order to cope with the struggles of every day life. Many criticize the idea of a happy ending, but the hope that comes from this can actually be very impactful. Moving to Durham and leaving all of my friends and family behind has been tough, but the belief that there truly is potential for happiness keeps me going. If Mulan can return home to her family a hero, Cinderella can find the man of her dreams and escape her awful family, Anna can save her sister and her kingdom, and Belle can change the dynamic of a whole town by impacting one lonely beast; then I can make new friends, try new things, and start a new life in a strange new environment. Truthfully, I cannot just credit Disney for this resulting mentality of mine. My family and my mentors have shown me what real life hope looks like and demonstrated realistic optimism. However, the mere repetition of happy ending stories through entertainment must affect a child in awe of the beauty on the screen. Teaching children to dream and never give up is one of Disney's strongest suits, and even today I am utilizing the characters' persistent mindsets to keep me hopeful during this tremendous change in my life.